An ascending, glabrous, rather large herb; stem 3-4 mm. thick when dry, ascending to 50 cm. or more, freely and widely branching, internodes up to 10 cm. long, rooting from the lower nodes; leaves alternate, round-ovate, apex bluntly short-acute, not at all bristly, base rounded, cordate, scarcely peltate as originally described, 3-5 cm. wide X 4-6 cm. long, smaller upward in young growth, palm-ately 5-to 7-nerved, the midrib scarcely branched upward, drying membranous, translucent, glandular-dotted; petiole up to 5 cm. long on larger, lower leaves, reduced upward with smaller uppermost leaf petioles 5 mm. long, channelled above, clasping-decurrent; spikes leaf-opposed, 1 mm. thick X 4-5 cm. long,, rather loosely flowered; peduncle 5-10 mm. long; bracts round-peltate, glandular-dotted; fruit globose-ovoid, about 0.5 mm. long, apex scarcely oblique, stigma essentially apical.
Home